CHAPTER THREE.
THE CALL
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The beast was smaller than Tess had imagined.
She cocked her head to the side as the quivering creature emerged fully out of the rocks. It revealed itself low to the ground, hunched on all fours with green and silver scales running along it's back and body. It's coat shone in the dying sun, and dirt muddied it's clawed feet as it stalked towards them.
However, none of these things were what made Tess' insides knot tightly beneath her ribs, suffocating her heart and insides as if it were being stuffed in a bag. What made Tess want to cower back was the gaping jaws that snapped in her direction. Razor sharp teeth lined the walls of pink that seamed the gaping pit of the animal's mouth. That horrible, high-pitched scream erupted from it's throat once more, and the noise sent shivers running down her spine. She gripped the seat she knelt behind firmly, knuckles turning white.
The spikes along the creature's back bristled, and the movement suddenly made Tess jerk forward, her hands finding the side of her head as a fresh memory decided to present itself. The images that burst through her skull brought unwanted emotions crawling along her bones.
Tess drowned in the memory, silently screaming for it to stop.
But it was too late.
Tess remembered how she'd seen one of those beasts before. It was a day, a night, and a life she had long since pushed away. She was eleven, a girl of fresh wounds, both in her head and upon her flesh, for the ache and pain of her chopped leg brought winces and spasms running across her body whenever she moved. The woman who had helped her take it off —a nurse from a long since abandoned hospital— had given her a serum to numb the pain while she worked, but it had quickly run out. They had worked in an abandoned alleyway, full of grime and must and the scent of death. It had been three days since the raid on Mos Eisley, and the Empire had left right after the firefight ended. Tess remembered watching their ships leaving the bay as she struggled down the sandy streets, mud coating her tongue as she would fall from her numb leg and have to pick herself back up again.
She found no logging that first night, and was forced to curl up on the street with the only the clothes on her back to keep her from death. Tess sometimes thought that it was that first frozen night which turned her so cold. It was the frost lining her nose and mouth in the morning, her tears frozen to her cheeks. That first night, she'd come to determine, the cold of the evening had frozen her heart.
It wasn't possible of course, as the night would never have frozen an actual heart, but it was what Tess liked to believe.
It made things easier that way.
After she had found the woman in a local bar the next day, a kind one of sunshine smiles and warm remarks (she reminded Tess of Jo), they had gone to find the requirements needed to chop off her useless leg. Once that was done, the work began. And so did the pain.
Tess would never forget the agony her knee had gone through months after the procedure. Her leg didn't hurt when the woman chopped it, as it had already been numb from the blaster bolts that had seared the nerves away, but that didn't make it any worse for her spared kneecap, a part of her flesh that was still very much alive.
It was a pain she could never bear thinking about again, for even one reminiscence and Tess would become useless for the rest of the day, retreating further and further into herself so as to stop the onslaught of memories.
When she left for Mos Pelgo all those years ago, she met the creature that now stood before them, and what came of that encounter was something that had never left the little girl's mind.
(this was rare, as Tess had become a master at pushing away unwanted things)
The Marshal tensed as the beast called again, and Tess looked over to the Mandalorian. His rifle, she saw with wide eyes, was lowering, and she watched as it came to rest upon the seat. Though she couldn't tell if the Mandalorian was frightened, all she knew was that he wasn't going to shoot the creature.
This made her brows furrow and a frown pop onto her hardened features.
Tess turned back to the beast, her breathing becoming ragged, pants like the exhaust from a bike puffing out into the air. The frown did not leave her face as more creatures crawled from the sands, monsters ready to kill. The frown was a mask. Underneath, Tess quaked in fear.
Three, four, five animals now growled and snapped their jaws in the troupe's direction.
For once, Tess wished she had something in her hands, a weapon of some sort to defend herself if the beast got too close. Even as she thought it, Tess knew it was hopeless. She was a girl of machines and nothing more, she couldn't use a weapon even if she tried (which she really did not want to do).
Tess Oprin was not a fighter.
Suddenly, a strange gurgling noise rang out towards Tess' left. She spun her head around to the Mandalorian standing in front of the creatures, a hand cupping the mouth area of his helmet. She gasped in confusion as the Mandalorian made the noise once more. It sounded like the beasts, and Tess remembered the other man who'd communicated with these creatures once before.
He was probably dead now, killed out in the sandstorms that took so many drivers and caravans. That man had been brave that day, stepping out from the barge to face the group of raiders ready to attack them. Tess had been hidden below with the other children as the raiders prepared to siege the vehicle.
She remembered the way young girls and boys clung to each other for support, clamping hands over their mouths to stop their incessant sobs from alerting the tusken's of their whereabouts. Tess remembered the littlest boy who, no more than three, who was wailing like he had just been shot. Hot tears had run down his face, snot pooling around his nostrils.
Tess had been so fed up with the young boy that when his cries began to cause a migraine to sprout across her head, she had whirled on him and hissed. You better stop crying now, or else the raiders will find us, and when they do, I'll make sure their dogs feed on you first!
The entire group of terrified children had stopped their crying. It was as if someone had muted a holocron, the sound being sucked from the room. The girl with storms in her eyes had frightened the children into submission, and they had never been found.
The boy was not eaten by dogs, and Tess did not have something to do with it. Even years later, after so many hours trying to push it away, Tess still remembered the feeling of watching the little boy run to his mother after the raiders were sent away. It was like a wash of cold had spread along her bones, a blanket of rain seeping into her skin. Not happy, not relieved, but numb. Cold. Frozen.
The same feeling rose up in her now as she watched the Mandalorian approach the animal in front of them. The adrenaline the danger of the beasts brought dissipated, and Tess remembered who she was. She became frigid once more.
The Mandalorian was not oblivious to the change. When the animal first revealed itself, he could see right through her facade. On the inside, she was still human, still a girl with feelings and a beating heart. He saw it in the way she peered over the side of the bike, knuckles turning white and face going slack. She was frightened and excited and exhilarated by the prospect of the beast, by what it brought. The Mandalorian too had felt the adrenaline that danger carried. Every time he faced a new enemy, his bones were renewed with energy, and the world seemed to become clearer, brighter. His senses grew attuned to things he never would have noticed before.
He saw this in the girl, but he said nothing. He needed to deal with the animals first and convince the others it was safe. He needed to make sure the child was safe.
The animals stopped at once when they heard his call of peace. They snapped their heads to the side, hoping to hear the noise again. The Mandalorian was not so easily fooled. He put his hands down and walked around the bike, passing Tess and the Marshal, who still had his blaster raised towards the creatures.
He could feel Tess' eyes on him even from within the confines of his helmet. Never had his beskar felt so useless than when he was faced with this girl. It was intriguing, but he still didn't enjoy the feeling.
"What the hell you doin'?" The Marshal spoke up, his blaster trained on the beast in front of him. Tess was wondering the same thing, but didn't dare speak out loud. She knew why the Marshal was on edge, and even though she had been spared once by these creatures, she wasn't about to let her guard down. Not that she ever did, anyway.
The Mandalorian didn't say anything, only held up a hand, telling him to wait.
The Marshal frowned, but did as he was told. Tess watched with wide eyes as the Mandalorian approached the creature, still silent, jaws snapping closed. Tess' head tilted to the side, her eyes trained on the Mandalorian's back as it knelt down in front of the creature.
He spoke again in the strange language, voice guttural, like the gurgle of a clogged engine. Tess saw him pull something out of his pocket, but couldn't exactly see what it was. She looked up to the Marshal for a split second, and the two shared a look.
While Tess and the Marshal couldn't agree on much, they had gone through their fair share of danger, and watching the warrior dispel it like water swathed a fire was new and foreign. The Marshal didn't comment on how Tess could be the exact same sometimes. He turned his eyes back to the Mandalorian, as did Tess.
Her fists slowly unfurled as the beast bounded towards the Mandalorian, the man kneeling fully and handing the creature what she now took for a treat. Tess turned slightly to the Marshal, her eyes electric as ever. With a tentative hand she reached up and placed it on top of his blaster, lowering it to his side. The Marshal did not protest.
While Tess had been known to turn her head away from the thought of peril, she was a girl who did not make decisions lightly. If Tess said something was alright, you were forced to agree, because there was no changing her mind if it had already been made up.
The Mandalorian rubbed the side of the animal's hide, and it panted and shook like the sand dogs that roamed the streets of Mos Eisley when you petted their furry heads. Seeing the Mandalorian become so playful was a strange sight for Tess. It brought something crackling inside her heart. It was a warm fire, unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Her frown deepened, and she decided she needed to see this creature for herself.
Hesitantly, the girl walked around the side of the bike, flicking the Marshal's hand away, and walked towards the Mandalorian. He did not look up and continued to pet the animal. When she reached the spot where the beast and warrior knelt, she stood behind him, peering over his helmeted head carefully.
At this, the Mandalorian finally acknowledged her presence. He moved upwards to face her slightly, and held out one hand.
"It's alright." he said quietly. "It won't hurt you."
Tess did not believe him.
Nonetheless, the girl ignored the Mandalorians hand (though he noticed her eyes flick to it more than once, a look of confusion passing along her features) and knelt down beside him. As she moved, her metal leg creaked horribly, grinding against the soft flesh of her knee. Tess winced and fell the rest of the way down.
It seemed she was in need of the Mandalorians support.
He reached out reactively and placed a hand under her elbow, keeping her from plopping down onto the ground. Underneath the helmet, Mando's eyes scrunched worriedly at her reaction, watching the metal gears that made up her calf whir and squeal. Rust was beginning to show along the meticulous welding keeping her leg together. Grains of sand had woven beige and tan lines along the steel, like rivers of golden sunlight.
Still, despite the craftsmanship, the leg wasn't of the best make. It had been created with scraps Tess had found along the streets of Mos Pelgo; old blaster pieces and scrap metal left out in the dumpsters, broken droids and old speeder bikes. She'd found what she could and made the most out of it. Once she'd gotten to Mos Pelgo and the Marshal had helped her set up shop, Tess was able to make a better one, but still used most of the same parts.
She was limited by what she could do, and it had resulted in years of hidden winces and bitten lips.
Once Tess was properly on the ground, she snatched her arm away, glancing up at the Mandalorian for a split second, then the moment he turned to look at her she spun back to the creature before her. Tess didn't move, knowing better than to startle the beast.
It looked up at her hesitantly, terrifying jaws continuing to stay shut, which she took as a good sign. Then it bent down towards her leg and sniffed, curious at the metal device entrapped on her body. Tess frowned.
"Go ahead." The Mandalorian spoke to her, his voice like soft velvet. It was strange hearing something so delicate come from a man so intimidating. Then again, Tess shouldn't have been the one to judge. When most people approached her, having worked up the courage to venture past her cutting frowns, they expected a misunderstood little girl, innocent and naive to the world around her. Most people expected sunshine and daisies, blood pure and heart glowing against ribs of fine ivory.
Tess Oprin was none of those things.
She was cold metal wires and bones of steel. A heart of storms and rain clouds and lightning. To all, Tess looked like a girl, and only a few knew who she really was: so much more.
Tess turned to the animal and reached out one gloved hand. She'd worn them almost all her life, supple leather wound around her hands to help support them. She'd come to realize that spending days on end fixing machines had taken a toll on her muscles, especially those in her palms and knuckles. The gloves were finger-less, showing grease-stains and calloused skin, but the rest was covered, weighted and safe behind the tiny bit of armor.
The beasts scales were icy under her fingertips, rough and hewed like coarse sand over tile. It did not back away as she rubbed its side. The beast smiled playfully and it's belly shook as if it were laughing.
Under his helmet, the Mandalorian smiled softly. When he looked at the girl, he expected the same pleasure. She was not smiling. Her face was as placid as a still lake in the morning. She showed no sign of happiness towards the creature, but she didn't frown at it either. Her face was numb, her storms for eyes calm as the sea.
The Mandalorian turned away from looking at her, his face twisting with trouble, and gave the beast a final pat on it's other side. Tess did the same, reluctantly letting the Mandalorian help her up to a standing position. For a moment, her leg felt like it would snap from the pressure of getting back up. She scrunched her face tightly, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath.
Despite her best efforts, the pain was still evident on her face.
When the agony subsided, Tess turned her head back to the Mandalorian and their surroundings. The warrior looked ahead, and as she turned, Tess almost fell over once again.
With heads that looked like they were wrapped in bandages and long cream colored cloaks shrouding their bodies, two sand people stood before them. They blended in with the world they lived in, living, breathing symbols of the plains of Tatooine. Bred to endure the harsh planet life, the tusken raiders were a group of people Tess had always had an interest in, ever since that day so many years ago.
Hardened warriors of sand and rock and stone, the raiders were as animalistic as the beasts they kept as pets, but there was still something humane about them. They never attacked without reason, was the conclusion Tess had come to. It was always for a cause, a purpose. They needed food or a refreshment of supplies, so they stole from the towns. It was always a raid, always near silent, and the only time trouble ever occurred was when the villagers attacked back.
Tess honestly didn't see the need for such bloodshed. While Mos Pelgo was a small town, it's supply of necessities was overflowing.
If there was no need to fight, then why go out of their way to start one?
The Mandalorian held up his hands and began to sign, making those throaty noises again. After a moment, the tuskens replied in the same hand gestures and words. Tess did not understand what they were saying, but she assumed he was trying to convince them to let them pass, just as the man had done so many years ago.
She was wrong.
Another raider appeared, and the Marshal's voice rang out from behind them. "Hey partner, you want to tell us what's going on?" Tess nodded a little, looking up at the helmeted man. He looked down to her, gaze lingering on her softened features, then turned to the Marshal.
"They want to kill the krayt dragon, too." The Mandalorian said. Tess' eyebrows shot up in surprise, and she threw a weary glance towards the sand people.
The Marshal didn't look happy. Tess couldn't blame him.
"What do we do?" she asked.
The Mandalorian turned to her. "They are offering us shelter for the night." he said. "There we can discuss plans."
Tess didn't say anything for a moment. Her brain whirred to life, gears turning in her mind at all the possibilities that could occur. The sand people could have been lying. They could betray them. The tusken's were not known as a people who could be reasoned with.
And yet, Tess stared up at the beskar clad warrior, he had been able to communicate with them. Speak with them, and something about the way he talked and carried himself made Tess willing to believe he trusted these people. That he could be trusted.
As quickly as it had come, Tess scowled again.
She couldn't go letting her guard down, not now. Her decision to go with the Marshal and the Mandalorian was already taking a toll on her, adrenaline rushing through her like the storm she herself was. Danger seemed to lurk around the corner, a silent predator waiting to pounce. Tess wasn't a fan of danger. She'd had enough of it already.
Tess had come here to do one thing; help kill the dragon. The dragon was the enemy, the crux of her revenge, and she wouldn't stop until she saw it gone. Everything else would stay the same, she would still be the heartless girl before, still the mechanic for a town she cared little about. Nothing would change.
(She was wrong, again)
Tess pondered a moment, then looked towards the two men watching her. "Let's go."
That was all the confirmation they needed.
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The Tusken camp was set up amid the sand and rock, deeply hidden in rich colors of tan and burnt orange. Tess sat in front of a warm fire, flames licking up at the sky, yellow and red tendrils reaching for the air. The child sat by her side, snuggling into the Mandalorians leg. She was between the Marshal and the bounty hunter, mechanical leg spread out with her other bent at the knee. Her bones ached from the long ride, limbs feeling more and more like lead every second.
A bowl of warm bone broth was held in her hand, a tiny spoon clutched between her fingers. She felt the child's eyes upon her as she took a sip of the soup, letting the warm liquid heat her insides. Tess tried not to look at it, with it's bright eyes and puckering lips. It wanted her food, she knew, but she would not give it to the child. That broth was hers, and she was starving.
The Mandalorian was speaking with the raiders, his gestures and gargling voice growing louder each second. Tess glanced up at him, then turned to the Marshal. She was pleased to see that he looked just as confused as she felt. Hand twiddling together upon his knees, Vanth's sculpted features twisted at the sight of the tuskens.
Something pulled on Tess' sleeve. She glanced down and glared at the child. It's mouth was open, silently pleading, arm reaching towards her own hands. Tess swatted it away and turned back to the conversation at hand.
She looked out towards the Tusken's camp, where tents shaped like dew drops were placed in the sand. A bantha was getting its teeth cleaned, the raider meticulously cleaning each tooth, hands steady and gentle. It was a shocking change from what she'd grown up knowing about the raiders. They were not gentle, they were quite the opposite.
It intrigued her.
A loud crack drew Tess' attention toward the raider in front of them, sitting closest to the Marshal and her. In its hands was strange green orb, with melon-like skin coating the outside. Tess and the Marshal glanced at each other as the tusken cracked open the top with it's fingers. Green smoke wafted from the top.
The Mandalorian kept talking in tusken speech as the raider shifted over and handed the green food to Tess. She stared at it for a long moment, apprehension growing inside her belly. Then, she took the green thing in her hand. It was heavy and weighted, and a horrid pungent smell plumed from the smoke.
"What do I do with this?" she asked no one in particular.
"Drink it." the Mandalorian replied. Tess looked up at him incredulously.
"It smells like bantha breath." she said. The Mandalorian simply shrugged and turned back to the raiders. She paused a moment, surveying the food, then decided that if they were going to make peace with the raiders, they would need to follow their customs. She would do anything to not have a fight break out.
Tess pulled the green orb up to her lips, glaring at the green liquid sloshing around inside, then downed half its contents into her mouth. She gagged as the stench filled her nostrils, coating her tongue in a strange film that tasted of bile and vomit. She jerked forward and began to cough loudly. When she looked up through watery eyes, Tess saw both the Marshal and Mandalorian ready to spring forward to help her.
Tess frowned. She forced herself to sit back upright and swallow all the liquid in her mouth, wincing as it sloshed down her throat. She held up the orb and passed it to the Marshal.
"It's good." she said plainly, her voice hoarse and throaty, still trying to recover from the stench.
The Marshal did not look convinced. "It stinks." he said. Tess refrained from nodding furiously, and instead glared into the side of the Mandalorian's head.
"If Tess could do it..." the Mandalorian said, leaving the rest unfinished. Tess looked up at him in surprise. It was the first time the Mandalorian had said her name out loud. It sounded strange coming from him, like he was hesitant to even speak the word. In truth, he was. The Mandalorian had refrained from saying the girl's name ever since he had met her. It was a name of sharp edges and cutting syllables, a perfect representation of the girl in question. He didn't know what would happen once he said it out loud, and wasn't even sure where the courage had come from to speak it now.
Tess said nothing, but her features darkened.
The Mandalorian decided to try a different tactic, and turned back to the Marshal. "Do you want their help?"
The Marshal's eyes widened. "Not if I have to drink this." Tess rolled her eyes and took another sip of her soup, hoping to dispel that horrible aftertaste the liquid had brought.
At the Marshal's words, the raider shook his hands violently in the air and spoke in his strange language. Tess scooted back. Clearly, the Marshal had said the wrong thing.
The Mandalorian sat straighter. "He says your people steal their water and now you insult them by not drinking it." Tess' head shot towards the Marshal, dread creeping along her bones at what he might say next. "They know about Mos Pelgo. They know how many sand people you killed."
The Marshal's face grew dark. "They raided our village. I defended the town!" As he spoke the raider grew more and more animated with his movements. Tess looked towards the Mandalorian for aid. She did not want to get in the middle of this. Unbeknownst to her, they locked eyes, and the Mandalorian could see conflict behind the storm.
The Mandalorian held out a hand to stop the Marshal, nearly knocking Tess in the face. "Lower your voice."
The Marshal threw the orb into the fire. "It knew this was a bad idea." Tess shook her head, hands curling into fists.
"Vanth." she warned, voice growing dangerously low. For once, the Marshal didn't back down. He didn't look at Tess, only stared at the raiders, anger plain on his face.
"You're agitating them." the Mandalorian said. As he spoke, the raider who had handed Tess the food stood up, a high pitched noise erupting from its mouth. Tess drew herself upwards and took a step back, eyes widening. The Mandalorian also stood and placed a hand on her forearm, stopping her from bolting. Tess looked up at him and drew her arm away.
The Marshal got up also. "These monsters can't be reasoned with." something inside Tess snapped at the words. She pushed through the Mandalorian, shoving the warrior to the side and came up beside the Marshal.
"Vanth, stand down!" she yelled, voice like a rumbling thunderstorm. Perhaps it was the fact that she had once been called a monster too, heard whispers of the word behind her back as she walked down the streets of the town. Perhaps it was because she could understand the tusken's need to survive. Perhaps it was all the adrenaline building up inside her, first from the dragon, then from the creatures out in the sands, and meeting the Mandalorian. Perhaps it was simply because Tess Oprin had slowly been wearing thin, like a line of rope losing strand after strand, one by one until it was held together only by a thin wire. Perhaps it was all of these reasons culminating together that Tess Oprin got up and stepped into the middle of the fight.
"Sit back down before I put a hole through ya!" the Marshal yelled. Tess grabbed the Marshal's arms and tried to pull him back.
"Vanth, stop!" she screamed. "Are you trying to get us killed!?" her voice rang out across the sands, and all the sand people turned to look at her. Unfortunately, despite being a force to be reckoned with, the Marshal did not stop. So caught up in his hatred for the sand people, Cobb Vanth did not care that he was going against his promise to always listen to Tess. For so long he had craved gaining her respect, and once he'd gotten it, the man had made sure to never lose it again. He cared for all the people in his town, but as he fought for them, he lost Tess.
She glared, seeing that her words held no meaning for the Marshal anymore.
Suddenly, a burst of fire blazed in between them. Flames erupted from the Mandalorians wrist, sprouting silence in its wake. Tess let go of the Marshal and took a step back, coming beside the Mandalorian. She did not look at him, nor any of them. Her mind was in some far off place.
Everyone stopped. They turned to look at the Mandalorian. Underneath his helmet, Mando seethed. He angrily began to sign towards the Raiders, and Tess watched with her head slightly tilted to the side. She was more angry than she had ever been, a raging inferno, shaking and quivering with power. It kept everything in her not to burst into flames. She was not fire, she was cold thunderstorms and flashes of lightning. She would not turn to ashes now.
"What are you telling them?" the Marshal asked.
The Mandalorian held up a warning finger towards the man. "Same thing I'm telling you." he spoke with anger lacing his words. "If we fight amongst ourselves, the monster will kill us all."
The Marshal grimaced and looked as if he wanted to say something more, but when he met the eyes of the girl standing next to the Mandalorian, he snapped his mouth closed. Realization dawned as they all sat back down, Tess pulling her knees close to her, not saying a word. Her eyes were confirmation enough. The Marshal had lost some of her respect, some of her admiration. He said nothing, but regretted every word he'd spoken in that fight.
"Now," The Mandalorian said to the Raiders. "How do we kill it?"
Tess leaned forward, crossing her legs, and stared up at the Mandalorian. Determination settled among her bones, coursing through her blood and filling her lungs with air. This was where she came in.
All memory of the fight forgotten, Tess laid out her plans to kill the krayt dragon.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE.
WE GOT A NEW COVER! Thank you so much to @sygmys for the absolutely GORGEOUS cover! I love it so much and I can't express in words how happy I am with how it turned out! Thank you so much!
ANYWAY that was the third chapter of short circuit! What did you think? This chapter really focused on relationships; on building Tess' relationship with Mando (what did you think of him helping her up and letting her pet the animal?) as well as with the Marshal, which now will be a little strained. Next chapter is going to be huge for furthering Mando and Tess' relationship, as well as FINALLY seeing Tess and the child interact (and there may or may not be someone using the Force). I'm super excited to continue writing this, I have so many plans!
As always, please don't be afraid to comment, I love hearing your thoughts on the story. Thanks so much for reading!
Love, Mal